I voted Kurd, although he does also look like a Greek from Turkey plate I've seen. But again, there is many Kurds, Armenians and Greeks living in Anatolia aka Turkey today. So a a lot've them I doubt would look very different from eachother on the average in modern Turkey. Also Kurds and Iranians are somewhat related. Or perhaps I am wrong altogether.

I voted Persian because I had decided Iranian before seeing the poll choices. The main reason being that he has a slight Indian vibe while at the same time looking pretty much Mediterranean (a Greek vibe too), but not really archetypally "Semitic" (neither in the Arab nor the Jewish direction), though the nose is slightly Arab-like.

Of course, I have doubts, specially with Armenians and Kurds. I'm not really familiar with Armenians but I imagine them like Georgian or Azeris and this compo-guy does not fit that Caucasian pattern nor really the Turkish one either (broader rounder faces over there and less tanned skins). The Kurds I have seen are often also more Euro-like, with lighter skin and broader Alpinid like faces. He could be some specific type of Arab I guess (Arab is such a broad category!), maybe some variety of Iraqi, but again they (Iraqis) tend to have broader faces overall.

Also Arabs, Jews and possibly Armenians tend to have a prominent lower lip that is not apparent at all in the picture (and a composite should show that).

Also the poll choices would suggest a Taurus-Zagros range. I did not look at them but after making up my mind that he'd be Iranian, so this is only a support for my first choice, not a condition.

The ala (the "wings of the nose") look within the range of Persians. (But of course, that doesn't mean that that type of ala isn't within the range of other populations as well)

There's other aspects of the face (the eyes, the mouth) that give the feel that it could be something else. I think perhaps Armenian.

(But I'm really guessing.)

The things is though, I think you'd likely find that type of look within the range of many of those populations. (Although, the frequency of that look would be different for each population. Some it would be common. Some it would be less common. Etc.)

I voted Syrian because of the primarily Mediterranean features (Greek, Turkish) with a good dash of Levantine. The nose is a bit closer to Palestinian to me than the remainder of the face. I see nothing Kurd or Armenian - but then the Kurds and Armenians I know are all wealthy US citizens who look like they just came out of Harvard... and much different from the Armenian country population, which in parts indeed seems to look like Dienekes' composite:

http://www.road-to-armenia.com/pictures/other/armenia/spitak.jpg

To be honest, except for Arabs and Persians, all the named populations IMO have a larger overlap than they have differentiation. And in Iran you have one of the widest variations possible: you can pick people who would feel right in place in Vienna or Athens or Kiew or Kabul or Jerusalem.

The first thought seeing the picture was "Turkish guy" but then, looking at the available choices, I realized that the guy looks similar to a couple Persians I know. So I went with Persian. Things I'd exclude for sure: Arab, Armenian, Jew. Could, I suppose, also be Kurd, and a certain geographical subset of Syrian or Turkish guys.

Without reading or viewing anything, I voted Persian too, for pretty much exactly the same reasons as you did.

Though if there had been more options, I would have gone with Kuwaiti or some such.

Put, yes he has a slight Indian look, I think his nose is not convex enough for a Jew or Armenian. His eyes look totally Persian to me. Also Kurds have a squarer face. If he's not Persian (Iranian), he could be Syrian.

Also, I see no point in having categories like Arab or Turk, as they clearly encompass a variety of types - so I discounted them.

I voted Jewish...I figure it was a trick question...and also, Jews encompass a wide range of phenotypes...Given they have had contacts with so many host populations...I am also a little biased (teehee).

he is definitely not Persian, his profile tells me that (too "soft"). His lower face (frontal) face seems a bit Arab but his upper 2/3 don't at all. The upper part seems something northern or northwestern. And finally the skull from profile view seems a bit in the direction of central Asia.

therefore my guess was Kurd (even though I've never personally known any or seen a group of them.

I don´t have experience in classifying people. But since living in a 20% turkish neighborhood I´ve seen lots of guys like this one. He´s definitively looking turkish.Not from classification but personal experience.

Dieneke, what exactly do you mean by Syrian (I am asking this question also for the next thread), as most of the population of Greater Syria (= Levant) is Arab (I mean Arabic speaking Muslim) in all or almost all of its provinces? Do you only mean traditionally Arabic or Syriac speaking Christians (maybe also Nusayri Muslims and Druze) from Greater Syria, or all of traditionally Arabic or Syriac speaking inhabitants of Greater Syria regardless of religion (excluding Jews) and sect, or something between (like excluding Israel/Palestine and Jordan, for instance)?

This is a trick question because he's obviously mixed race. I say he's both central asian and African, that's to say one could predict what an Armenian mixed with a Sudanese blood line could produce. Next time, I am going to send you my picture and have your members guess, no one will be able to, being mixed also!

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